Hello, I'm new to VJ. I have been reading many stories here and haven't found any similar to mine. My husband and I met in Russia 5 years ago and were married there 3 years ago. After living there for the last 3 years I have had to unexpectedly return to America and due to a family situation I cannot return to live in Russia with my husband. So we have decide to bring him to America but the time frame is so long! We have been apart since Jan 11, and can't bear the thought of a year or more before we can be together again. I am filling out the papers for the K3 but is there another faster route at this time?

We have been married for 3 years and unexpected/unplanned circumstances had us going through this nightmare right now. We have been separated since Oct 2006, and my husband just started the I-130 process Mar 2008.

K3 doesn't seem to be any shorter right now. My husband had opted not to file I-129F, only I-130, pursuing IR1 instead.

Welcome to the waiting game!!

Leah

Since you've been married for more than 2 years the best thing to do is go with is the IR-1 as he will get a 10 year green in the mail a short time after arrival in the US. SS card also.
You should have done Direct Consular Filing when you still lived there. That would have been the fastest by far!

We checked into the direct consular route but the Moscow US embassy does not accept this. Their web site says all Americans applying for Russian spouses must do everything from America.

Also my husband's mother is elderly and he is affraid that if she gets sick he won't be able to leave the USA quickly if he comes here. I thought the K3 would allow him to go to Russia immediately if needed. Is this true of the IR-1 ?

He normally should get the 10 year green card in the mail within a month of arriving in the US. He can leave and return anytime after GC in hand.
K3 can leave immediately after arrival. However it is costly, stressful and a pain in the butte adjusting status.
To me it would be a BIG mistake not going for the IR!!

Spouse with IR1 will have no restriction on short term traveling. I am not sure whether there is any restriction for K3 holder during the adjustment of status.

K3 was started as a faster way to bring the spouse of a US citizen to US but it has not been the case lately.
K3 is a non-immigrant visa that allows the spouse to complete the immigration process (adjust status) in the US. The cons are: it costs more and your spouse may not be able to start working for months as the adjustment of status and work authorization may take a while to process.

With IR-1, your spouse can work right away and gets a green card in a matter of weeks.

BTW, the guides on VJ have some excellent information on various types of visa and their procedures.
http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...amp;page=guides

Leah

I've read the different visa options and procedures on both VJ and the uscis.gov sites, but it is all so complicated and confusing. The timelines also are not helpful because some people get a visa in less than a year while others doing the same process for the same visa wait over a year (or close to 2!). I am just hoping that somebody here has some knowledge of which is faster at this time.

I do not think anyone on VJ will be able to tell you how long it's going to take, it's a random process as far as USCIS is concern. The timelines however give a rough guide, individual case can be faster or slower.

Leah

Hi PJB, you seem to be living in/near California, so I assume that the California Service Center would treat your visa application. This is good news, since they have been making great progress with the K-3 and IR-1/CR-1 visas lately.

When choosing between K-3 and IR-1/CR-1, please do not only consider the time it'd take each visa type to pass USCIS and NVC, but definitely also see what the time difference at your local Consulate/Embassy is. I have read several posts on this forum, that mention a big difference in time at certain Consulates, while for other ones the difference is minimal. Go to the regional forums on this site and check for Russia specifically, they might be able to immediately give you the info you want.

I assume you have some more reading ahead, but at least you start out at the fastest Service Center for now, that is already something good to know.
But I would definitely file as soon as possible. You still have a long wait ahead.

No there is not a faster route at this time.

Have you studied the Guides here? That's the place to start.